While they both feel right at home inside the Edmonton Eskimos locker-room since their playing days as teammates at the turn of the millennium, Monday was the first time Jason Maas and Tim Prinsen stood there together in front of the media as coaches.

While his entire career has involved playing on or coaching offensive lines since being drafted fourth overall in 1997 by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Prinsen said the running back position isn’t exactly foreign.

“It’s essentially a natural extension from the O-line and having dealt with the O-line for so many years, you kind of figure out where the backs need to be and how the O-line can help them,” Prinsen said. “It will stretch me as a coach but that’s what you want to do, right?”

Then again, the last two years saw the Eskimos backfield take a pass-protection-first philosophy under the previous coaching regime. And given the success of that proven formula, Prinsen said things aren’t about to change any time soon. Especially if the hiring of a former O-line coach to look after this year’s running backs is any indication.

“Absolutely, with Jason calling the shots we’re going to throw the ball and we’ve got to keep Mike (Reilly) on his feet,” Prinsen said of the Eskimos quarterback and reigning Grey Cup MVP. “And the backs are a huge important part of that, so we’re definitely going to work on that.”

With the free-agency window set to open on Feb. 9, questions abound as to which players will make up the Eskimos backfield: Is John White recovered from the Achilles injury that kept him out of last year’s Grey Cup season? And if he is, will he re-sign in Edmonton? A late signee last season, Nic Grigsby will return along with Shakir Bell and Akeem Shavers, while the veteran Chad Simpson appears to be headed for free agency, if not retirement.

“Without seeing too much of them up to this point, but just watching as a fan over the last couple years, I think they’re extremely gifted and talented and when they get the ball in their hands they do good things,” Prinsen said of his running-backs stable. “As a new coach coming in, to know that you’ve got dynamic players that you’re going to coach, it’s going to make my job easier.”

At the same time, it was a difficult decision to leave the U of A Golden Bears program he’s worked with for seven years.

“This wasn’t an easy decision in that regard, I really enjoyed working with Chris (Morris) and I think that team is on the cusp of being really good,” Prinsen said of the CIS program’s head coach and fellow former Eskimos O-lineman. “But to be able to work with Jason and this group of coaches, it was too good an opportunity to refuse.”

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